Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-15
A LITTLE TARIFF HISTORY.
Sketch of tho Progress OF Legislation Hos.
tile to Freedom of Trade.

luCing DTleI account or tarlf legislation
in the United States Congress says:
brightly TO comprehend the protection
issue a historic sketch is necessary.
By this we can gather clearly how ii hiss
thst legislation so hostile to
freedom, so repugnant to both the letter
and the spirit Of the constitution, has
been brought about, and is now regarded |
by so many citizens as sound govern
ernmetG! policy" He then continues as
follows:
In the preamble Of the first tariff isT in |
17eg one CT it's objects is declared "the |
encouragement and protection OF dOmes- /
tic manufactures" By this Law the
average duty was but S! per cent. Its !
purpose wss revenue. Direct taxation !
WAS hard to gather, SIS the nation Wss
bankrupt ana had repudiated its COnied-
crate debts.
Since that preamble, Cor which no var
rant is found IN the constitution, and
which, in view of the low duties levied
under the law, is 8 self-stultitying az
surdity to a pIoteCtiOnIst of to-day, s
persistent war has been Wsged
against the people by men eager TO use the
governmental force for personal advsn-
tage. In 1871 the average duty was II
per cent in 1872 il became I3! per cent,
and the per cent. minimum was tten
dropped. IN 500 the 10 per cent, list
followed 1t. In 1903 the ~ per cent.
schedule vanished, while 1t every change
il the law the numbers OF articles on
which duties were collected was il
creased.
In 1912, for the impending waT, tha du-
ties were doubled, to remaip so while the
war should last. Ia gil this legislation
TIE rate Of cuty which would bring the
most revenue wss the one always claimed
il every change to be tn sught for.
In I6lG Clay declared himself in favor
OF "decided protection to.home malufac-
lures" and in this ytars gre6t increase
in the number OF taxed commodities &C.
CURED to supply the needs Of the Treas
ury resultant from the war. "The father
OF the protective policy" did not, how
ever, until 1924 succeed in stamping his
/ policy on our legislation, and this by
/ small ms iOrity-lC7 10 l02-in the House
/ that i had no assured permaEenCy. But
the parasite growth then took rO3t upon
the nations trunk. Since thst. with rare
intervals, il hiss drained the nations vi
tally, Giyerting capital from those uses
naturally probable, ana by which the
profits would low to the wealth pr3dUc-
ers, into these artificial channels which,
feeding this parasite growth, evolved
that foliage Of luxury which tourishes
only to imp0verish labor.
BY this tariff the people after forty
years under constitution Of specified
ani limited governmental power suffered
its limits to be Oyerpassed; a5iu-eG th8ir
natural riIht to purchase il the cheapest
markets, and so get the greatest pCss Die
return for their produced commodities,
and, infatuated by the demagOgiC cry OF
"prOteCtion against the pauper labor Of
Europe" constituted over them this pro-
teCtorate, class UsurpinG control Tor
parsOn8I gain To-day this CRY is re
peated BIZ Blaire's followers in the Re-
publican party, ruling it as the Clay
coterie ruled the Wing party The, al
legged magnetic msn hos reappeaTad,
whose magnetism lies only and solely il
the fact his record shows-that. his fl
stinct is to use the governmental force
for his per ,Onal advantage; lnG ne has 9
host CT friends glad To accept him as
leader, so as 10 use the government .Rol
their own ends Clay could, if his cor
respOndenCe with Madison does n0i
represent him, never have anticipated g.
permanent such g t8rIf as we now Ell.
. dure. But Es might have been t0retold
the leeCh could not be satisfied In -,
/ the duties were increased, though Tx
! still weak majorities-l05 10 70 in tn,
House and 70 to y in the Seuate-indi
) cate determined resistance by the people
In 1929 it became plsin thai this clss,
: legislation did in DOwise tend TO "estab-
/ lish domestic tranquility" New England
} her commerce crippled by it, was driver
to invest in manufacturing. The south
with ruder labor, was unable 10 max
! Pre- tit by such investment aud saw wit
5 anger and modification that she had b Ell
s by law rendered tributary TO MassaClu
sets. In 1916 both Calhoun and Lownde
+ mad supported Clay's policy. In IS
0 South Carolina, with justice on her sid
/ il the constitution hss any meaning, Du
! by method unknown 10 the compaC'
f and which to admit meant only disintt
e grafton, attempted to nullify the III
It equal law.
4 The national peace was in imminen
s danger, when Clay, az pEciher Of the civ
dlssension he himself, Is inventor Of tn
peTniCiOus policy, had geEeIated, Intro
e duced his compromise bill, and, sfter
= 1ard struggle, passed it. BY this I'll
u AtS VI Vic Qul.SS SICN ltSS dHU itsS 1LDl
2 year to year, until in ten years the o.
: revenue limit of 20 per cent. was to Z
d attached. The fact that civil war Tvs
o then barely s.verted gives 8 warning tn;
). the ruling class here-strong enough i
r the past twenty-five years to control tt
c Republican party and to prevent II
d policy Of the Democratic party-ls nov
! as it then was, toe deaf to hear.
le The surrender of self-government ";
lie irdicsted not only by the tariffs of ).
70 and 1928; it appeared also in the form
J. loose banking laws in almost every sta.
81 all IN violation OF the spirit Of the co:
o. stitutlor-artiCle /, section s, clause
,e These resulted in the Issue Of alIegt
le money far in excess of all natural demaI
lie as medium Of exchanges. AS & meSsu
n Of values its increasing redundancy r
ut suited in an increased valuation of )
ly property. Speculation ran rampar
More new towns were plotted than won
suffice to contain the then populatiO
On the first attempt TO realize on the g,
psnded valuation by demanding coin
s the banks for their paper issues the TO
"a tunes based en- obligations and deb
~ were scattered in 1887 On the winds.
~ the withdrawal of the Uuited S ates q
OF posts from the control Of the speculstil
rs banker, Nicholas Biddle, Jackson hi
punctured the bubble and precipitat
is the inevitable catastrophe while it say
the Treasury. Had he allowed it TO r
II f,,I oC1rco 40 ,oaT,in would bsva